


Perfectly Okay (How I Met Your Meeks)

by cam_and_dean



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheeks - Freeform, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5760442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cam_and_dean/pseuds/cam_and_dean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie and Meeks are tired of being the 9th and 10th wheels in the Dead Poets Society family. As Todd and Neil's wedding approaches, Charlie has an ingenious plan to ensure they both have a plus one to bring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfectly Okay (How I Met Your Meeks)

**Author's Note:**

> Weirdly similar to How I met

Ever since Neil and Todd (finally!) got together, Charlie had been feeling like a third wheel. Neil, the sweetheart he is, would never abandon his best friend for his boyfriend, but he never spent any time _alone_ with Charlie anymore, and that was driving him crazy. Don’t get the wrong idea, Charlie loved Todd like a brother(in-law), but he missed the times he used to spend staying up late in Neil’s apartment across the hall from his.

 

When he found out that Knox and his formerly-unrequited love interest Chris Noel were finally going strong, and Pitts hooked up with some girl named Gloria, and even Cameron had found love, well… he was really getting sick of being alone.

 

It’s not that Charlie didn’t enjoy being a one-man-band. He’d always been a player, picking up girls every night at the bar beneath their apartment complex, but suddenly he went from third wheel to 5th, then 7th, then 9th, and he was getting a little sick of being one of two single guys left in their group.

 

Meeks was _really_ done being half of the last two standing. At least Charlie had girls lining up for one-night-stands. Meeks had been alone for a really long time. And he wasn’t even getting laid. But still, for some reason, Steven Meeks was a believer. Every time he’d get a wedding invitation in the mail, he’d check plus one. He believed, no matter what it took, he’d have somebody to go with him when the wedding day came around. That’s why, seven weeks ago, when he got the invite to Todd and Neil’s wedding, he checked the plus one box without a second thought. As the wedding came closer, he really regretted that decision.

 

All those weeks ago, when Charlie got his invitation in the mail (Neil really just slipped the invite into his mailbox without a stamp, there was no point in mailing it across the hall), he had had a girlfriend for about two weeks. When the girl, Tina, heard about the wedding, she was so excited that Charlie just had to mark plus one. They broke up three days later because he “didn’t appreciate her enough.” It was true. It just wasn’t love like Charlie wanted it to be; it wasn’t love like Neil and Todd had. If he was being honest, he’d say he’s never been in that kind of love with any girl he’d ever met.

 

Now both boys were in a pickle. Neither had a date to the wedding; and neither wanted to go alone. They both expected to be with someone by now. For God sakes, they’re 25 years old. Something should’ve happened for them a long time ago.

 

With a week until the wedding, Meeks and Charlie were both freaking out. The Sunday before the big day, Meeks got a text.

 

CD: you wanna meet somewhere in private? I have an idea.

SM: that’s never a good sign.

CD: you coming or what?

SM: coming where?

CD: the bar?

SM: you mean the bar where we all go every single day? sounds real private.

CD: the roof?

SM: sounds good. be there in 10.

 

This could go in a number of directions.

When Meeks got up to the roof, Charlie was sitting by the edge of the building.

 

“This isn’t about the bachelor parties, is it?” Meeks asked, “Because, for the last time, I don’t think Neil is going to want a _female_ stripper for his gay wedding!”

“First of all, how dare you. But that’s not what this is about.”

“Is it about Todd’s bachelor party? Because I really don’t think we need two, Charlie.”

“Damn it, Meeks. Of course we need two. Get your head out of your ass,” Charlie demanded, “but this isn’t about Todd’s bachelor party, either.”

“Then what is it?”

“C’mere,” Charlie beckoned, “look out at the street.”

“What about it?”

“Couples. Everywhere you look. Holding hands, laughing, smiling at each other. Don’t you ever get sick of it?”

“Sick of what?”

“Being alone.”

“As if you have any idea what that’s like. You wake up next to a new girl every damn morning.”

“Yeah. And then they’re gone. Don’t you get it, everybody leaves me! Those girls leave me, Tina left me, and now Neil is leaving me too!”

“Don’t say that. Neil isn’t going anywhere.”

“I know, it’s worse. He’s getting _married._ Next thing you know Chris and Knox will be married with kids, Pitts and Gloria will run off into the sunset, fucking Cameron will be watching his bride walk down the aisle. And then there’s us.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“I need a plus one for the wedding. I’m not going to my best friend’s wedding alone. I can’t-- I can’t bear this alone.” For a second, Meeks thought Charlie might be asking _him_ to on a date. But, no… that would be ridiculous. Charlie likes girls.

“So what, you want me to set you up with someone? Charlie, if I knew any eligible bachelorettes we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“No, Meeks. Geez, do I have to get down on one knee? I want _you_ to be my plus one!”

“What? But you-- you like girls, right?”

“Yeah, of course I do, do you know me at all?” Charlie said, barely convincing even himself. “Can’t we just pretend for a night?”

“I don’t know, man… Don’t you want to hook up at the wedding? Find a desperate single girl watching yet another distant cousin getting married before her?”

“Is that what you want?”

“No, do _you_ know _me_ at all? I’m trying to find my soul mate, here.”

“Do you really think she’s at that wedding?”

“No, no. I don’t think he is,” _Oh. He. That probably changes things_ , thought Charlie. Meeks continued: “That’s gotta be too good to be true.”

“Then c’mon, Meeksie! Let’s fall in love for a week, what do you say?”

“Fine. For a week.”

“YAWP!” Charlie yelled.

“Don’t get too excited, man. And no kissing!”

“Of course! No kissing in public,” he joked.

“I mean it, no kissing.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, babe,” Meeks cringed visibly at the nickname Charlie used, “I ain’t gonna kiss you.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Though they’d never admit it, they were both a little disappointed on their way back.

 

All seven of the boys met up at the bar later that day. Todd was kind of freaking out about the wedding, and Neil was calming him down (even though he was equally stressed.)

“Hey, guys!” Neil hollered when he saw Meeks and Charlie arrive. They had all already had a few drinks, and Charlie was just about ready to chug the rest of the pitcher on the table. And maybe later he’d slam a couple of shots down, too. You know, for good measure. Ever since his proposition to Meeks, he had been feeling weirdly… morose. For some reason, he kind of expected a more enthusiastic reaction. Or at least a less reluctant one. Was he falling for his friend?

 

“So, Charlie… how’s that ‘plus one’ coming along?” Cameron asked petulantly.

“Actually, I’m taking Meeks,” he said, grabbing his fake-date’s hand. Todd did a spit-take with his beer.

“It’s about damn time you too got your heads out of your asses!” Neil exclaimed.

“What do you mean?” Meeks asked.

“You’ve been madly in love since high school! Everyone knew it but you two!” Pitts added.

“I believe you all owe me 10 bucks?” Knox asked.

“Wait, why do you owe him?” Charlie was incredulous.

“Um… we kind of placed bets on when this would happen…” Todd explained.

“Neil was off by seven years,” said Pitts.

“So I thought it would happen before graduation, sue me.”

“I thought it would be until until the last of us got hitched,” said Cameron.

“And I said it would be right before the first wedding of our group, which is Neil and Todd’s. So pay up, losers.” They all reluctantly handed Knox their money and he accepted it with a satisfied grin.

“I-- I have to go,” exclaimed Meeks, tripping on his feet on the way out the door. Charlie gave a disappointed look to the boys and sprinted after him.

“Meeks!” he hollered, “Meeks talk to me!”

“I don’t feel like talking, Charlie. Just leave me alone.”

“No. I’m not doing that.” He finally caught up to Meeks and grabbed his hand. Meeks stopped. “Look, I’m upset about the bet too, man. But don’t take it out on me! This wasn’t supposed to ruin our friendship,” Charlie said.   

“I don’t want it to ruin our friendship.”

“Then let me take you upstairs. I’ve got plenty of booze, we’ll kick back and have a movie marathon. Who needs those guys?”

“You don’t get it.”

“Then come upstairs and you can explain it to me.”

“Okay,” Meeks said in a small voice. And upstairs they went.

 

Charlie closed the door behind him and nonchalantly feel onto the couch. “So, tell me what I can’t seem to understand,” he said.

“Wow, that movie marathon sounds really good right now,” Meeks said as he sat tentatively onto the couch, leaving an intentional gap between them. Charlie moved closer, destroying the personal space Meeks allotted for himself.

“No, you’re gonna tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” said Meeks.

“So you’re breaking up with me?” Charlie asked. He didn’t intend to sound so desperate.

“We’re not breaking up, Charlie. We were never together!”

“Why does that idea repulse you so much?”

“Repulse me? Are you kidding?”

“That’s gotta be it, right? I mean, you straight up told me you didn’t want to kiss me, and you cringe every time I even feign intimacy. If I disgust you so bad why did you agree to this in the first place?”

“Because I want to be close to you, Charlie! I’m not repulsed by you; I’m hopelessly attracted to you. The guys are right, God damn it! I’ve been madly in love with you since high school, and this is all a joke to you!”

“Oh.”

“Oh? Whatever, Dalton, I’m leaving. See you at the wedding.”

“No, don’t go! Did you ever think for a second maybe I wanted to be close to you, too? That I just didn’t know how to ask you to this wedding because I didn’t want to fuck everything up? Did you ever think about that?”

“But… you’re straight. You’ve always been straight. You’re, like, the straightest of the straights,” Meeks said, still facing the door to avoid Charlie’s gaze.

“I thought so too, but I don’t know anymore. Yeah, girls are hot, whatever. But I want what Neil has with Todd, and the only person I can see myself having that with is you, Meeks! I’m in love with you. I fucked up with this fake-boyfriend thing. Let me make it right.” Meeks turned around to face Charlie.

“How do you suppose you’ll do that?” Meeks asked. Charlie moved closer until his hands were on the other boy’s hips and his lips were brushing against his skin.

“Well, there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to try,” Charlie whispered against Meeks’ ear. Charlie lightly held Meeks’ face and kissed him gently, more chaste than any kiss he’d ever given or received. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Meeks said, his heart beating faster, “that’s perfectly okay.”

They kissed standing up for a little bit longer, then moved their affairs to the couch. Meeks fell asleep there, and Charlie just held him and breathed him in.

Just as Charlie almost fell asleep, his phone buzzed.

 

NP: Trouble in paradise?

CD: Can’t talk. Cuddling.

  
He put his phone away and drifted to sleep with his _real_ boyfriend in his arms. It was gonna be a good wedding.


End file.
